Recycling challenge deadline nears

There are less than two weeks to go until the end of the 50 State Green Choices Challenge but that is not stopping residents from recycling and reporting weekly activity.

Sun City and Bluffton were selected in June to participate in the in the SC Johnson & Son 50 State Green Choices Challenge. Since then residents, who are Waste Management customers, have been eagerly recycling their cardboard, cans, bottles and glass. Each week, residents log into their RecycleBank website and report what they recycled so their participation is counted toward the challenge and they earn points that they can later redeem as discounts and coupons at local stores.

“It’s pretty easy. You go online and it’s a couple of clicks. (RecycleBank) sends an email notice every week,” said John McEvoy, an active recycler and Bull Hill resident who plans to keep on recycling even after the challenge is over.

As of Dec. 5, Sun City and Bluffton were ranked seventh in the 50 State Green Choices Challenge. The community with the most residents recycling through Dec. 31 will win a $100,000 grant for a sustainable community project. In the final days of the competition, Sun City and Waste Management officials are encouraging residents to ramp up their recycling and reporting to help move Sun City and Bluffton to the winning spot.

“Keep recycling and getting on your computer to report it until the end. There’s still a chance we can climb to the No. 1 spot,” said Damon Williams, Sun City’s executive director. “I’d also like to thank Waste Management, Recyclebank, SC Johnson & Son, the Town of Bluffton and our Sun City residents for their enthusiastic participation.” The 50 State Challenge is a collaboration with Waste Management, RecycleBank and SC Johnson & Son. Waste Management is picking up recyclables, RecycleBank is tracking participation through residents’ self-reporting and SC Johnson & Son is providing the grant. Sun City Hilton Head residents who are Waste Management customers can still participate in the challenge through the end of December. To participate, Waste Management customers only have to put their recycling on the curb like they normally do and report every week at RecycleBank’s website or number.

Only one community will win the $100,000 grant. Basket Walk resident Pat Van Houten thinks Sun City and Bluffton could be that community. She and her husband, Bill, recycle because they believe it is good for the Earth, and they see Sun City’s streets lined with Waste Management bins every week.

“You are (recycling) already — get online and sign up,” she says to her fellow residents. “Let’s win this thing!”

Russell Hightower, Waste Management community and municipal relations manager, said Waste Management customers can sign up for a free RecycleBank account at www.recyclebank.com or by calling 888-727-2978.

“The challenge response has been amazing. Sun City and Bluffton just need to keep pushing down the home stretch to bring home the $100,000 grant,” he said. “Earning these valuable rewards is simple, and on average each home we see participating earns (rewards valued at) about $165 per year.”

Residents who are Waste Management customers will stay enrolled in RecycleBank through June 2014. So, as long as they recycle, points that can be redeemable as discounts will continue to accumulate.

Beverly Camp-Mugford participated in the challenge and got an unexpected benefit from the program: She’s living a greener and more energy-conscious lifestyle. Through RecycleBank’s website, she educated herself on recycling plastics and different ways to save water. “I’ve learned a lot,” she said. “It really gets you thinking.”

McEvoy also believes recycling is a habit everyone should get into. “Today, there’s so much new technology. (Organizations) can recycle just about everything we throw out — glass, paper, plastic — most of (it) can be converted back to its original state or turned into another commodity. I buy recycled paper at Staples for my computer. It’s made from the paper we throw out every week. That’s the neat thing about recycling.”

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